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Prior to coming to Georgia Tech, he has worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Oak Ridge National Lab and Northwestern University.

Dr. Henry started out working on modeling controller performance for earthquake mitigation in high rise civil structures. With a background in studying building vibrations during earthquakes, he then moved to studying atomic vibration with molecular dynamics simulations to incorporate an interest in heat transfer. After gaining experience with classical molecular dynamics simulations, he began to incorporate first-principles calculations and quantum molecular dynamics simulations.

Dr. Henry’s research is centered on the development of a solar-based, grid-level electrical power generation technology that can compete with fossil fuel based technologies. Toward this end, the research involves two major computational modeling thrusts, namely thermochemical hydrogen production and atomistic level thermal transport.

Both areas involve a significant amount of fundamental science research, however, the overarching goal is to work toward systems level engineering. The work in thermochemical hydrogen production involves the use of first-principles calculations and molecular dynamics simulations to predict the thermodynamic properties of candidate materials. This work also has a component dedicated to furthering our understanding of the associated chemical reaction dynamics, with the goal of optimizing for maximum cycle efficiency.

The research on atomistic simulations for thermal transport is primarily geared toward increasing our understanding of the underlying mechanisms that govern thermal conductivity. This thrust involves detailed studies of phonon transport and the development of accurate potential energy descriptions that can aid in the study of thermal transport in bulk materials, nanomaterials and at various types of interfaces. This research also involves additional efforts toward the design of innovative materials that have their properties optimized for particular applications, such as thermoelectrics, or high efficiency heat exchangers.